Going Home At Last
by whenaspritemeetsaunicorn
Summary: When Gloria and her daughter see each other again after 21 years of being apart, it's nothing but tears, hugs, and smiles. Forgiveness and apologies are so important, and it makes reconnecting just that much easier. It helps too that her little girl can relate to her mistakes. No matter what, though, Gloria thinks her baby is perfect. Oneshot!


**Happy birthday, Johanna_002! I hope your day is wonderful and that you enjoy this! xoxo**

**Thank you MsSchneeheide for beta'ing! You're ever so helpful! :)**

**Felíz Año Nuevo-Happy New Year**

**Disclaimer: i dont own this song, P!nk does!**

_Made a wrong turn, once or twice_

_Dug my way out, blood and fire_

_Bad decisions, that's alright_

_Welcome to my silly life_

_Mistreated, misplaced, misunderstood_

_Miss "No way, it's all good", it didn't slow me down_

_Mistaken, always second guessing, underestimated_

_Look, I'm still around_

It's the dead of winter, New Year's Eve, to be exact. Snowflakes pelt down on Elena Mendoza and her young daughter as they run through the woods in ragged clothing. She's grasping Isla's little hand and a flashlight tightly as she mentally urges herself to go faster. "Hurry, hurry," she mumbles through gasps of air. "We don't want him to get us..." She's been going so quickly that she doesn't feel all that chilly. In fact, she's sweating and her long messy dyed brown hair is stuck to her cheeks. She does her best not to trip on her dress. The ends of it are dirty and torn, but she doesn't care. She just needs to get herself and Isla to safety.

"How much farther, Mama?" Isla asks.

"We're almost there, baby. Casi estámos allí," she repeats in Spanish.

"Where are we going?"

"La casa de mi mamá," she answers her little girl.

**My mom's house**

A few more deep inhales and exhales later, they finally reach their destination. "Open up, please!" she begs, banging on Gloria's front door with both of her hands. Her child copies her actions. "¡Vamos, abre! ¡Por favor!" She's faint. Weak. Tired.

**Come on, open up!**

Light holiday music plays from inside and Elena can see through the window that there's a party going on. Everyone is dressed in evening wear, the place has been decorated with multicolored lights and mistletoe-which couples are taking full advantage of-and she realizes it's a bad time to show up unannounced. However, this is an emergency, and Gloria _had _told her she could drop by anytime, say hello, try to reconnect. She quickly looks behind her as she rings the doorbell furiously and pounds her fist on the door while her panicked breathing turns to sobbing. She turns off the flashlight.

Finally, the door opens and her mother stares at her, probably stunned. _God, she looks great_, Elena thinks. _Still the queen I've always remembered her as._ She has a pretty red dress on and her long, black hair cascades down her back and shoulders. "Oh, Elena, _mi princesa,_ come in out of the cold!" She ushers Elena inside and then Isla peeks out from under the skirt of Elena's tattered pink dress. "Hi cutie, what's your name?" She locks the door behind them and Isla takes her shoes off.

Isla puts her thumb in her mouth, appearing shy.

Elena sniffles and sighs shakily as Gloria brings her in for a hug. She tries to compose herself. "My daughter...Isla."

"I'm an abuela!" Gloria exclaims through a soft laugh. "Well, I'm so glad you both made it eventually!" She takes a green plaid blanket off the brown couch and wraps it around Elena.

"Oh, gracias, I was so frozen. Also, thank you for inviting us in even though you weren't expecting us. Is Ceci here?" Elena asks hopefully, her teeth still chattering.

"No...not yet, anyway...but at least you came with your baby. May I ask what happened to you, sweetie?"

"Um...it's really nothing," Elena tells her quietly.

"You were wearing sunglasses when you arrived...and you still have them on now. Also, you have scratches, bruises...and this gash..."

"Oh, I didn't realize...sorry. They're from tree branches." Elena flips her sunglasses up to the top of her head, praying that her mother won't notice the abuse her pimp had inflicted on her. She'd put on enough makeup and she doesn't know why she even had on sunglasses to begin with. It's so dark out.

"_Mija_..." Gloria lifts a trembling hand to her slightly-opened mouth and gasps out loud. "Mi Elenita...tu cara..."

**Your face**

"Mom, I don't wanna talk about it. I'm fine. Can we just see Tía Lourdes and my brothers, please? I want 'em to meet Isla, too."

Gloria nods and gives Elena a teary smile. "Okay."

Elena lifts her dress so it doesn't touch the floor and takes off her high heels. "I think I should change first." Her black corset and fishnet stockings underneath are so uncomfortable.

"Go ahead. You can borrow one of my outfits if you need to," Gloria offers.

"I will! ¡Gracias!"

"De nada."

_Pretty, pretty please, don't you ever ever feel_

_Like you're less than fuckin' perfect_

_Pretty pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing_

_You're fuckin' perfect to me!_

_You're so mean, when you talk, about yourself you were wrong_

_Change the voices in your head, make them like you instead_

_So complicated, look how big, you'll make it_

_Filled with so much hatred, such a tired game_

_It's enough! I've done all I can think of_

_Chased down all my demons, I've seen you do the same_

The reunions between Elena and the rest of Gloria's family are beautiful and they adore five-year-old Isla. Gloria also introduces Elena to her friends, most of whom she'd met in prison. There are Blanca and Diablo, a crazy-in-love couple, then Red, her co-worker in the kitchen and fellow mom at Litchfield, Flaritza, a cute-but sometimes annoying-pair of best friends who enjoy vlogging, and Nicky and her Egyptian girlfriend Shani. Of course, Karla is there, too, with her boys. Isla has warmed up to Karla's youngest son, Abel, and they enjoy coloring together on the floor on a piece of paper, obviously. Karla's oldest, Benji, is hanging out with Benny and Julio. Shani and Karla had met Gloria in some ICE detention kitchen, but thanks to some of Nicky's connections with rich lawyers, they're allowed to stay in America.

Elena presses a bag of ice to her black eye and tells the guests it's from smacking her head into a tree outside, but Gloria knows better. She's been through the same thing.

Lively conversation flows amongst the crowd and Gloria just listens while standing next to Red with cups of warm eggnog in their hands. "It's so cool meeting you!" Flaca exclaims as she hugs Elena. Her smaller companion stands beside her. "So...do you wanna be in this? It's gonna go on YouTube!"

Elena shakes her head no. "Nah, my face is messed up."

"Aw, that's okay. You're still a beauty," Maritza assures her.

"Yeah, you look so much like your mother, it's insane," Blanca adds.

"Mm-hm, and that little girl of yours, too cute for words!" Karla chimes in.

Elena beams. "¡Gracias!" She sits down next to Nicky and Shani and nudges the tall brunette. "So...did anyone ever tell ya that ya got a little Salma Hayek in ya? Karla and Blanca kinda got her hair, too..."

Nicky cracks up. "I tell 'em that all the time! She was my celeb crush growin' up. There was Fiona Apple and then...her."

Shani nods. "So there you have it! My girlfriend makes me blush every time she says I resemble Salma. It's one of the best compliments ever! I can't believe she's fifty-three. I hope I still look good at that age."

"I'm sure you'll age _extremely_ gracefully," Nicky tells her flirtatiously, and upon hearing this, Shani's eyes twinkle with happiness.

"Me han dicho que me parezco a Frida Kahlo, y no solo porque I used to sport a unibrow," Blanca murmurs from her spot on the loveseat where she and Diablo are cuddling.

**I've been told I look like Frida Kahlo, and not just because**

"Ah, well, mi amor, you're my beautiful dove, y eso es lo que dijeron que era Frida," Diablo says, pecking Blanca's temple and holding her close. The fire burns bright in front of everyone.

**and that's what they said Frida was.**

Elena grins at them, and then at Nicky and Shani. "You both make such lovely couples!"

"Thank you," they say in unison.

"Aw, they seemed to have welcomed her into their wild bunch that you've created, my friend," Red comments as she rests her elbow on Gloria's shoulder.

"Hm, we only got closer after you were booted out," Gloria reminds her teasingly. "Never mind that, I'm just glad Elena's comfortable around them, considering over half of 'em are ex-cons."

"Well, they don't seem bad," Julio whispers as he stands by Gloria's other side.

"Yeah, and the ladies are pretty damn hot," Benny pipes up from behind his brother, earning himself a smack upside his head. "Ow! _Mom_!"

Gloria rolls her eyes. "You lucky none of 'em heard your dumb ass."

Elena suddenly comes up to Gloria with tears in her eyes. "Mom, can we talk?" She glances around, her bottom lip quivering. "In private? Tía Lourdes can be with us, so we can go in the kitchen."

Gloria takes hold of her daughter's icy hands. "Sure, bebé."

_Oh, pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel_

_Like you're less than fuckin' perfect_

_Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing_

_You're fuckin' perfect to me_

_The whole world's scared, so I swallow the fear_

_The only thing I should be drinking is an ice cold beer_

_So cool and limed and we try, try, try_

_But we try too hard and its a waste of my time_

_Done looking for the critics 'cause there everywhere_

_They don't like my jeans, they don't get my hair_

_Exchange ourselves and we do it all the time_

_Why do we do that, why do I do that?_

_Why do I do that?_

Lourdes is making tamales in the kitchen when Elena and Gloria stride in, their arms linked. Once they sit at the table, Elena begins crying into her hands. Lourdes looks over at them with concern and Gloria holds her daughter close. "Oh, nena, what is it?"

"I've missed you so much, Mamí! I'm exhausted and I hate myself, but what else is new? Welcome to the life of a puta..." Her voice trails off as Gloria takes Elena's trembling hands off her face and squeezes them gently, comfortingly.

"I missed you too, mija. I love you, and so does your daughter and your tía y tus hermanos...ahora, ¿lo que pasó? Is this all too overwhelming? I can ask the ladies and Diablo to leave..."

**and your brother...now, what happened?**

Elena shakes her head no. "It's not that." She sniffles and chews on her lip. "Your friends are cool. I like them. They're so good with Isla, even though they keep spoilin' her with holiday cookies. I don't even mind that. It's just...me. I'm ashamed of myself. Bringin' up my daughter in a..._oh __god_!" Elena covers her eyes and whimpers.

Gloria scoffs. "Elena, most of us have gone to prison! That's about as rock bottom as you can get, my girl."

"Yeah, but y'all just made stupid choices, and circumstances you couldn't help led to them...whereas I...I had good guidance and didn't need..." Elena hiccups and weeps into Gloria's shirt.

"I had Lourdes," Gloria whispers as she strokes Elena's tangled, damp locks and plucks a leaf out of them. "I still fucked up. So anything you tell me ain't gonna faze me in the slightest. In other words, I won't judge you. I promise."

"Prostitution."

The word is mumbled, but Gloria can still understand her daughter. She glances over at Lourdes to check her reaction. The older woman's face is stoic. "Ay dios mío," Gloria whispers, feeling sick. "Where was my motha during all this...your abuela didn't do nothin'?"

"Cariño, ¿por qué?" Lourdes asks. She's calmer than Gloria had expected her to be, but then again, her niece was sent behind bars for food stamp fraud.

"Abuela didn't know," Elena informs them. "Lo siento...I guess I was struggling with rent when I moved out...I needed the money...and I didn't think Abuela would let me live with her if I was over eighteen, you know how she is. Plus, I didn't wanna be a burden on her...like Ceci is. I was also sending money back to her. She thought it was from a Good Samaritan and that I found a good husband and that's why I was with child. The truth is...it was either living in a brothel or out on the streets. Today, though, my pimp was so nasty, we had to get away. I also knew I couldn't expose Isla to that any longer. She was starting to recognize the danger, too. I wanted to give her a happier life for a change."

Gloria just kisses Elena's cheek and tears come to her own eyes. She blinks them back. "I'm so sorry you went through that, mija! How did you know where I lived?"

"I wrote down the address you gave me when I was twelve and I kept it all that time. I wanted to reconnect with you, and I knew you'd understand my mistakes if I came to you instead of Abuela."

Gloria's heart expands and she rocks her twenty-seven-year-old daughter in her arms, as if she were still a tiny girl. "Of course I do, I'm so happy you sought me out for protection because I will give it to you and Isla, one hundred percent. I'm _so_ sorry I didn't take you and Ceci with me to New York. I feel guilty every day about that...and also that I stayed with the monster called Arturo for so long...enough time for him to hit Benny. I don't think I can ever forgive myself for that...for not leaving sooner."

"You were scared, Mamí. Just like I was..."

"Mm-hm. About walking away from my dangerous ex, yeah...but leaving you girls when you needed me more than ever...I could chalk it up to being young and stupid, but that's still no excuse," Gloria admits. "I don't blame Ceci for not reaching out, but I'm so glad you did, because it could mean we get to start over. I'll give your sister all the time she needs, though."

Lourdes smiles while wrapping her arms around both of them. "¡Esa es una idea espléndida!"

**That's a splendid idea!**

"Yeah," Elena murmurs. "I still feel _muy fea_, though."

**very ugly**

"¿Por qué?" Gloria wonders aloud as her heart breaks at her daughter's low self-esteem. "Tú eres muy hermosa, nena," she assures Elena.

**You are very beautiful, baby.**

"Sí, por dentro y por fuera," Lourdes chimes in and plays with Elena's hair a little.

**Yes, on the inside and out.**

Elena shrugs. "I...whored around...got beat up...what's lovely about that?"

"Me sentí igual que tú cuando Arturo abusó de mí. You know what, though?" Gloria doesn't wait for Elena's answer. "I realized _he _was the ugly one. Not me." She puts her hands on either side of the young girl's face. "Sweetie, you're a flower. Maybe you've been swayed about and rained on while you were blooming, but now that the sun's out and you've gotten away from all that terror, it's your time to stand tall and strong in the light. Sure, there will be some dark days. I went through lots of those. Pero..." Gloria tucks a strand of hair behind her daughter's ear and runs her knuckles down Elena's moistened cheek. "Eres una chica valiente, fuerte, inteligente y hermosa. You gotta keep your chin up and tell yourself that every day when you look in the mirror, alright?"

**I felt the same way as you when Arturo abused me. You're a brave, strong, smart, gorgeous girl.**

Elena nods. "I will. I need to be a badass for Isla, like I was today."

"Sí, y también para ti," Lourdes says.

**Yes, and for yourself, too.**

Elena remembers a nice policewoman named Allison who had tried to help when her gringo pimp started yelling at her in the middle of the street, but he'd brushed it off as nothing but an adopted sibling squabble and she was forced to go along with him as he took her back to the brothel and hissed the whole way that he couldn't take her anywhere without her making a scene. "So, can one of you call the cops and put this brothel outta business and those disgusting creeps in the slammer?"

"Will do," Lourdes volunteers before Gloria can. She gets up and does as Elena has requested.

"Gracias, tía Lourdes."

"De nada."

Gloria beams with pride. "Estoy tan orgullosa de ti, mi bebé. Eres perfecta para mi."

**I'm so proud of you, my baby. You are perfect to me.**

Elena turns back to Gloria. "Gracias. Te amo, Mamí."

**Thank you. I love you, Mom.**

"Yo también te amo, mi niña. I'll always be here for you."

**I love you too, my little girl.**

"I know that now."

_Oh, pretty, pretty please, don't you ever, ever feel_

_Like you're less than fuckin' perfect_

_Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing_

_You're fuckin' perfect to me!_

_You're perfect, you're perfect_

_Pretty, pretty please, if you ever, ever feel like you're nothing_

_You're fuckin' perfect to me_

"What'd you want Mom for?" Benny asks Elena when she re-enters the party room.

She hugs herself around her middle and grins at Blanca and Diablo swinging little Isla between them and then Nicky and Shani doing the same thing with the child. Flaritza takes a selfie with Isla and she gives them bunny ears. Karla pokes Isla's belly and she giggles hysterically and tries to pull at the El Salvadoran woman's curls. Red gives them all more holiday sugar cookies with icing and sprinkles. "Just some girl talk and catchin' up. Tell me you didn't toss my daughter up three feet in the air or let Diablo do that, because I get a vibe from you both that you will."

"No!" He snickers slightly until she glares at him. "Honestly, we didn't even think about it. She's kinda getting heavy anyway, and Blanca wouldn't let Diablo."

"It's true," Julio informs Elena. "She kinda keeps him in line."

Elena smirks and puts her arms around both of her little brothers. "Good."

Lourdes walks in suddenly with Gloria beside her. "Dinner's ready, so time to eat!" Lourdes announces.

Gloria wraps her three children in a loving embrace and Isla joins them. She hooks one tiny arm around Elena's leg and her other around Gloria's leg. Isla peers up at them both adoringly with a smile on her precious face.

"Can I sit between you and Abuelita, Mamá?" she asks in a sweet, quiet voice.

"Of course, mi ángelita," Elena answers her.

**my little angel**

"Sí, I would love that!" Gloria exclaims.

"Yay!" Isla cheers and jumps up and down.

They're taking a group picture now. "We're having a baby!" Blanca hollers all of a sudden. At first, everyone thinks she's joking, but Diablo kisses her belly and they all laugh and congratulate the couple while hugging them. Elena is so happy for them and it's such good news.

"Before marriage?!" Lourdes asks, looking close to horrified.

"We're getting to that wedding!" Diablo assures her.

Karla raises her hand. "I'm the maid of honor!"

Blanca whoops. "I'm the bride, and you're all invited!" She pokes Isla's nose. "You can be the flower girl."

"Yay!" Isla squeals, and Elena beams, along with the others. She and Gloria exchange an excited glance.

It's almost perfect, and the only person missing here is Ceci, but Elena knows in her heart that her big sister will come around soon enough. She's determined to help Ceci and their mother redevelop their bond, just as she recently has with Gloria.

Elena is ecstatic to be back in Gloria's life. She loves that Gloria had accepted her, past and all, with wide-open arms, because why wouldn't she?

They're family, and family _always _sticks together, through thick and thin. Mistakes can be forgiven if the person gives an honest and sincere apology, and Elena feels as if Gloria has done just that.

She can't be more grateful for her mother-or any of her _familia,_ in fact. It's a very _Feliz Año Nuevo _indeed, she thinks as the adults-except Blanca-ring in the new year at midnight with champagne and Blanca, the boys, and Isla sip apple juice so they don't feel left out. Gloria even lets her sons have a little champagne, too. They're older teenagers, so it's okay.

It's the best present Elena could've given herself and her daughter.


End file.
